Why we Aren’t Trying Hard Enough to Combat Human Trafficking

In my mind, human trafficking didn’t even exist in Fort Collins until a police officer told me it was one of their biggest issues. His name was Sergeant Adams, and during my time on a ride along with him he revealed what the underground world of human trafficking looked like. After speaking with him, I conducted research on human trafficking in Fort Collins and I am convinced that there is not enough being done to combat it.

“If you feel safe here, then it means we are doing our jobs. People should not know how dangerous the places they live in are.” Adams said.

While we were driving down Prospect Rd. in the police cruiser, Adams had told me how inherently dangerous any town or city is. Anywhere there are people, there will be crime. He used a metaphor of skating on a frozen lake. Civilians are ice skaters on top of the ice. Police officers are the ice, while criminals are the cold water underneath. Police officers try to shield the everyday civilian from what crime occurs in their town or city. The less worried the public is, the happier they are. Ignorance is bliss.

The everyday person doesn’t necessarily need to know about every drunk driver, every harassment call, etc. Human trafficking however, is a much more severe crime that is generally tied to larger criminal organizations and prostitution rings. By keeping the public unaware of how big a problem human trafficking is in Fort Collins, more people are being put at risk of being victimized.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, “Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.”

Police departments in Northern Colorado are combating human traffickers, but they are not doing enough compared to other cities or towns with the same issue. They’re not doing enough in terms of anti-trafficking operations and raising awareness of the issue. Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the largest hubs in the world for human trafficking.

In Atlanta, there have been over five major human trafficking stings from January 2019 to September 2019 that have resulted in over 100 arrests. Fort Collins has had one human trafficking sting in 2019 resulting in 8 arrests. While it is certainly a larger problem in Atlanta, the same tactics can still be applied to Fort Collins even if it is on a smaller scale.

The Fort Collins Police Department as well as the Laramie Sheriff’s Office have both acknowledged the immediate threat human trafficking creates for Fort Collins and Northern Colorado as a whole. Unfortunately, they have yet to take any major actions regarding this problem with their lack of activity. Cities and towns with higher cases of human trafficking tend to have dedicated task forces or teams to combat the problem. The city of Denver recently established a team dedicated to human trafficking on top of already being partnered with non-profit anti-trafficking organizations. There are no task forces yet established by law enforcement to engage in criminal behavior regarding human trafficking in Fort Collins. This only further encourages trafficking to occur in Northern Colorado as there are no dedicated resources to prevent or stop it.

While establishing anti-trafficking teams and creating specific task forces can be difficult, it can also be very costly. However, there should be no excuse not to raise awareness around human trafficking. More awareness can lead to more support and possibly more funding towards anti-trafficking programs within law enforcement.